ALVIN OREN KEENE – 1893 – ?

I know very little about this man. My paternal grandfather was not on the scene when I was born. My grandmother never mentioned him, but the story is that he was a tailor. He was probably in his twenties when he connected with her. We have no marriage certificate to depend on for information. Ancestry has the above photo and lists his mother’s home of origin to be Ireland. He fathered four children with my grandmother. One of them was my dad. I would love to know what happened in truth, but then again, I may not like what I find out. Some of the stories circulating (speculated) were that he deserted my grandmother and her four children when they lived in Saskatchewan, Canada. It was also guessed that he was a heavy gambler and had accumulated a great deal of debt because of it. Was he murdered? Did he take his own life? Did he run away and try to start a new life? Whatever the case may be, I would like to know a little more about him.

There usually are a few questions when researching your family history – a skeleton or two in the closet. I wonder if he was a Christian. I know his mother was a Roman Catholic, but whether she passed that on is questionable. I would like to have him know how his family turned out, in spite of his leaving them. I wish I could meet him face to face and tell him that he is forgiven for his past sins. I hope he came to learn that. He must’ve been a good tailor. He passed that skill on to his wife who passed it on to me. I’m not a tailor, but I’ve made about a million costumes over the years.

I would love to tell him that he started a family of hard working, over achievers. I wish he could’ve seen how those children raised families of their own who also excelled in their service to country, to their fellow man and to the working class of America. His grandchildren would’ve made him proud, I’m sure. Because the family was left to fend for themselves, my grandmother had to go to work to support them. Her children were also expected to contribute to the family earnings. I don’t believe my dad had a very happy childhood. My grandmother taught me many things and I know she loves me, but she was a bitter woman for most of her life.

We can’t change our past. We can do something about the future, however. The people that bring us into this world don’t define us, but many of their attributes and attitudes are passed on. I feel blessed that my family continued to instill moral values into their children. This is one of the greatest gifts a dad can give to his family. In the pursuit of happiness, our goal should always be to look ahead and not back. Press on to the future and trust in God.

“Son, brother, father, lover, friend. There is room in the heart for all the affections, as there is room in heaven for all the stars.” — Victor Hugo